1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an end mounting for supporting a roller, in particular the roller of a cover for an architectural opening.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Various blinds are known for selectively covering architectural openings. Many of these include rollers that are rotatably mounted, usually in a horizontal orientation, for instance across the top of the architectural opening. To facilitate installation of the roller, an arrangement may be provided whereby an end mounting, for instance as part of a bracket, is mounted adjacent the architectural opening for each end of the roller and then the roller is fitted between the two end mountings. The ends of the roller may be provided with axial holes for receiving support shafts which extend from the end mountings. However, it will be appreciated that, for the roller to be secured in place, the distance between the ends of the roller must be greater than the distance between the inwardly facing ends of the support shafts. This makes mounting of the roller extremely difficult. Of course, support shafts can be provided on the ends of the rollers with corresponding holes provided in the end mountings, but the same problem exists.
Previously, it has been proposed to provide some form of sprung telescoping action. In particular, the roller can be formed so as to be partly collapsible in length by means of some telescoping action, with a spring force biasing the roller to an extended length. Alternatively, support shafts in the roller or end mountings may be sprung to an extended position, but collapsible against that spring force to a retracted position. In this way, for installation, the roller or support shafts can be compressed against their resilient restoring forces to allow insertion of the roller between the end mountings. Various documents consider such arrangements, for instance GB 588,698, EP 0 046 948, EP 0 672 814, U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,916, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,569 and GB 2 339 820.
A problem with these previous arrangements is that they rely on the spring force of the telescoping roller or end pin to ensure that the roller is held in place. In some arrangements, the axial spring force may have a negative impact on the frictional resistance to rotation of the roller. In time, also, the spring force may diminish such that there is a danger that the roller will fall from its installation. These problems become even more significant as the roller becomes larger. With larger rollers, once mounted, the operating forces can sometimes overcome the spring force of the telescoping roller or end pin with the risk that the roller drops from its mounting. Increasing the spring force hampers mounting. Furthermore, because of the need to build components that can sustain the increased force, costs will be increased and the size of the mounting may also be increased. For instance, it may be possible to provide easily a relatively small bracket for supporting the weight of a roller, but the size and strength of that bracket may need to be increased significantly in order to withstand the outward axial forces of the telescoping action.